Maintenance priority in communication network

Abstract

A computer implemented method of setting maintenance priority for a set of network devices of communication network. The set of network devices are arranged in an ordered list based on at least one of: customer information and usage information; and maintenance priority classes are dynamically set for the network devices based on the ordered list, wherein there are at least two different maintenance priority classes.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer implemented method of setting maintenance priority for a set of network devices of a communication network, the method comprising:
 arranging the set of network devices in an ordered list based on customer information comprising information about requirements of different customers and usage information; 
 dynamically setting maintenance priority classes for the network devices based on the ordered list, wherein there are at least two different maintenance priority classes; and 
 outputting the set maintenance priority classes for the network devices for scheduling maintenance operations for fixing forthcoming communication failures in one or more of the network devices, wherein the outputting is implemented prior to occurrence of the forthcoming communication failures, 
 wherein the maintenance priority class sets a time limit for fixing the forthcoming communication failures. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising obtaining the usage information from network operation systems. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising obtaining the customer information from a customer database. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising obtaining numbers of network devices that may be dynamically assigned to different maintenance priority classes, and using these numbers in said dynamic setting of maintenance priority classes. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein a highest maintenance priority class corresponds to a shortest delay in maintenance actions and lower ranking maintenance priority classes correspond to longer delays in maintenance actions, and wherein the dynamic setting of maintenance priority classes comprises setting the highest maintenance priority class for the first network devices in the ordered list and setting the lower ranking maintenance priority classes for the following network devices in the ordered list. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising overriding any previous maintenance priority classes of the network devices while setting the maintenance priority classes. 
     
     
       7. The method  claim 1 , further comprising taking any previous maintenance priority classes of the network devices into account while setting the maintenance priority classes so that new maintenance priority class of a certain network device is one step higher, one step lower or the same as the previous maintenance priority class of said certain network device. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising when setting up a new network device, setting for the new network device a default maintenance priority class. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the default maintenance priority class is a second lowest maintenance priority class. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the default maintenance priority class is at least one step lower than highest available maintenance priority class. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising consecutively repeating said arranging and dynamic setting after a predefined period of time. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein said predefined period of time is one of the following: 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 obtaining sizes of the maintenance priority classes; and 
 setting the first or the last network devices in the ordered list to have the highest maintenance priority class until the highest maintenance priority class is full or nearly full and setting the subsequent network devices in the in the ordered list to have lower ranking maintenance priority classes until the lower ranking maintenance priority classes are full or nearly full. 
 
     
     
       14. An apparatus comprising:
 a processor, and 
 a memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:
 arrange a set of network devices of a communication network in an ordered list based on customer information comprising information about requirements of different customers and usage information; 
 dynamically set maintenance priority classes for the network devices based on the ordered list, wherein there are at least two different maintenance priority classes; and 
 output the set maintenance priority classes for the network devices for scheduling maintenance operations for fixing forthcoming communication failures in one or more of the network devices, wherein the outputting is implemented prior to upon occurrence of the forthcoming communication failures, 
 
 wherein the maintenance priority class sets a time limit for fixing the forthcoming communication failures. 
 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to obtain the usage information from network operation systems. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to obtain the customer information from a customer database. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to obtain numbers of network devices that may be dynamically assigned to different maintenance priority classes, and to use these numbers in said dynamic setting of maintenance priority classes. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to take any previous maintenance priority classes of the network devices into account while setting the maintenance priority classes so that new maintenance priority class of a certain network device is one step higher, one step lower or the same as the previous maintenance priority class of said certain network device. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus when setting up a new network device, to set for the new network device a default maintenance priority class. 
     
     
       20. A computer program comprising computer executable program code which, when executed by a processor, causes an apparatus to:
 arrange a set of network devices of a communication network in an ordered list based on customer information comprising information about requirements of different customers and usage information; 
 dynamically set maintenance priority classes for the network devices based on the ordered list, wherein there are at least two different maintenance priority classes; and 
 output the set maintenance priority classes for the network devices for scheduling maintenance operations for fixing forthcoming communication failures in one or more of the network devices, wherein the outputting is implemented prior to occurrence of the forthcoming communication failures, 
 wherein the maintenance priority class sets a time limit for fixing the forthcoming communication failures.